Covalent 2D Cr$_2$Te$_3$ ferromagnet

TL;DR

This paper reports the synthesis of covalent 2D Cr$_2$Te$_3$ with robust ferromagnetism, high Curie temperature, and potential for spintronic applications, expanding the family of 2D magnetic materials.

Contribution

It introduces covalent 2D Cr$_2$Te$_3$ with unique magnetic properties and theoretical insights into its magnetic transitions and electronic behavior at atomic thicknesses.

Findings

Curie temperature of 180 K in 2D Cr$_2$Te$_3$

Large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

Emergent half-metallic behavior in atomically-thin form

Abstract

To broaden the scope of van der Waals 2D magnets, we report the synthesis and magnetism of covalent 2D magnetic Cr$_2$Te$_3$ with a thickness down to one-unit-cell. The 2D Cr$_2$Te$_3$ crystals exhibit robust ferromagnetism with a Curie temperature of 180 K, a large perpendicular anisotropy of 7*105 J m-3, and a high coercivity of ~ 4.6 kG at 20 K. First-principles calculations further show a transition from canted to collinear ferromagnetism, a transition from perpendicular to in-plane anisotropy, and emergent half-metallic behavior in atomically-thin Cr$_2$Te$_3$, suggesting its potential application for injecting carriers with high spin polarization into spintronic devices.